Annual Meeting and Workshop

Each year, the Middle East Outreach Council hosts a teacher workshop in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference. Our annual board meeting (private) and business meeting (open) are held at the MESA conference.

We offer a limited number of travel awards for educators who wish to attend the workshop and MESA conference.

This workshop will introduce (and re-introduce) you to the intricate connections between world history, US history, and Texas history by providing a sensory examination of the familiar and not-so familiar, and exploring their roots from around the world and the forces that brought them together in south Texas. We’ll begin with the spices and silks that made their way across the steppes of Asia on horseback and by dhows across the Indian Ocean; and blending in artistic designs and tastes in food that were added in the Middle East and North Africa and forged in the crucible of pre-reconquista Spain. We’ll end by giving the story a unique San Antonio flavor, adding finishing touches with a tour of Mission San Jose and describing local influences from Native Americans and the Canary Island settlers. No matter which aspect of the social studies you teach, you’ll find a new sight, smell, taste, or texture that you can bring to your classroom!

Registration is $15and includes lunch, teaching materials, and door prizes. Attendees are also welcome to stay for the 2018 Middle East Book Awards ceremony, which begins at 4:30.

Sponsored by the Middle East Outreach Council, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UT-Austin, and the San Antonio Public Library, with the assistance of the San Antonio Missions National Park.